


Protection

by Pachitastic



Category: Loveless
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-13
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-17 14:11:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3532265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pachitastic/pseuds/Pachitastic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ritsuka doesn't want to hurt Soubi, but when Ritsuka's name finally appears, he's not about to let Soubi go again. Speculation fic, spoilers for 100+</p>
            </blockquote>





	Protection

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Once upon a time, I hated Loveless and thought it was purely pedophile porn! I was also fourteen at the time, and probably shouldn't have been reading Loveless in the first place. I've blazed through the entire series in the past three days though, aside from a few chapters that aren't finalized, and have come to have a new appreciation for the series and layers of character dynamics.
> 
> This fic should NOT be assumed to be accurate at this point in time, as I have not memorized all the details. It's speculation and it's set after an unknown event in which Soubi is able to return to Ritsuka. Ritsuka's name has appeared. This slightly plays into a headcanon I have about who the LOVELESS fighter unit actually is.
> 
> Concrit is appreciated. Thanks for reading!

It had started with Yuiko being absent from school with no explanation, and no calls or messages from her either. Ritsuka didn't want to worry about her, but he did. He thought to maybe give her a day or so though, just in case she was sick. But if she was sick, was anyone going to help take care of her? 

The school day came and went and Ritsuka was packing up to leave when his phone chimed. A short text.

"There's a weird mark on me."

He tried calling, but she wouldn't answer, so he replied back, fingers trembling.

"Weird mark? Can I come over?"

He received a yes with a frowny emote in response. Without concerning himself about his mother, he went to Yuiko's.

* * *

Yuiko answered the door, sniffling, her eyes red. While Yuiko was prone to explosive emotions, this wasn't like her. She looked exhausted, and the way she trembled, he had to assume she was scared. She led him inside and sat down on her couch, rubbing at her eyes. 

"I-It's awful, Ritsuka. It's  _awful._ " She whimpered, eyes welling up with fresh tears as her voice cracked.

"The mark?"

She nodded a little, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. 

Ritsuka kept his eyes on the floor, wondering what it could possibly  _be._  The only thing he knew of appearing overnight without being inflicted painfully was the names that paired fighter and sacrifice. That  _couldn't_ be it but... He had been told that his true fighter was likely someone he knew.

"Can you show me?" He asked. Yuiko hesitated a moment before she quietly pulled her shirt up, exposing her midriff and finally her ribs. Right below her left breast, still partly covered by her bra, was a single word.

**L O V E L E S S**

Ritsuka's eyes widened, focused on that word as Yuiko started to cry again.

"See? It's awful! I don't know how it got there and it won't come off either! My parents aren't around much and our classmates can be mean b-but I... I..." She trailed off, sobbing again. Part of Ritsuka wanted to comfort her, but all he could focus on was the word. The name.  _His_ name. Did that mean he had his name on his body too? That it had finally appeared? He worried for Yuiko's safety, but it was also stressful to wonder what that meant for him and Soubi. He had  _just_ gotten Soubi back. Things were a little weird between them, but Soubi was back and that's what mattered. He didn't want Soubi to go away and he didn't want Soubi to feel like he was only garbage. Ritsuka didn't care about whether it was appropriate to have two partners or not. Seimei had, so why couldn't Ritsuka? 

"It's not awful, Yuiko. It's... It's kind of a good thing."

"Good...?"

Ritsuka didn't want to see if he had the mark while he was with her.  He wouldn't know how to explain it. 

"Just stay home today, okay? I have to go see Soubi, but I'll come see you again later." He forced a bit of a smile, "Don't worry about the mark right now."

Yuiko trusted Ritsuka more than she probably trusted anyone and it showed. Her breathing steadied out and she managed a little smile for him.

"Okay, Ritsuka."

The more Ritsuka thought about it, the more this just simply  _made sense._

* * *

Ritsuka stopped by a pharmacy first, looking through the pain relievers. He didn't need a pill, he needed something that would numb the skin. He couldn't let Soubi go again. He couldn't let Soubi go back to Seimei. As much as Ritsuka loved Seimei, he couldn't deny that when Soubi came back, he was a mess. It was nothing outward, no theatrics, but he wasn't right.

He stopped in front of the antiseptic medication, looking over all the things until he saw something that, in simple words, told him it was topical pain relief.

_Lido... caine?_

He picked up a bottle of rubbing alcohol too and a box of bandages, unsure if Soubi would have these things. Soubi was an adult, so he probably did, but he wanted to be sure. 

With his small bag of supplies, he made his way to Soubi's house. 

* * *

 

Soubi looked surprised to see Ritsuka when he opened the door, but let him in regardless. Before he had a chance to ask any questions though, Ritsuka spoke up.

"Yuiko is Loveless."

Soubi said nothing, his face betrayed nothing.

"But I don't want to lose you again. I don't like it when you're gone and I love my brother but I can't stand what he does to you!"

Again, silence.

"How do the names work, Soubi? The names written on you. Does it have to hurt? Do I have to make you bleed?"

"... It's the only way I know of."

"What about the name Seimei left on you? Do I have to get rid of that one? How do I do it?"

Soubi carefully started pulling the bandages off his neck, his name slowly coming into view.

"I think obscuring it in some way would work."

Ritsuka thought about it. The most effective way would likely be to burn the whole area, and wipe the Beloved name out of existence, but there was no way Ritsuka could do that. He wasn't sure he would even be able to do this, but he  _had_  to.

"Soubi, do you want to be my weapon? Or do you want to be Seimei's?"

"You have Yuiko now. Do you really need me?" Soubi's voice was steady, betraying nothing. 

"Of course I do! I wouldn't be here right now if I didn't want you!"

There were moments that Ritsuka thought Soubi might be a little stupid. Wasn't it obvious? 

"I love you, Soubi! I want you to be my fighter."

"Ritsuka..."

Soubi stood up, walking away and returning with a knife in hand. He handed it carefully to Ritsuka before sitting again. Ritsuka started setting out supplies, the lidocaine, the antiseptic, the knife, as Soubi watched him curiously. 

"Where's your name, Ritsuka?"

"Um... I think it's on my left side. On my ribs. That's where Yuiko's is."

"You haven't looked?"

"No! I came straight here and didn't even think of checking before I saw her today!"

Soubi chuckled, "Are you going to look?"

"... I was waiting to do it here."

"Now?"

"N-Not yet." Ritsuka picked up the box of lidocaine, ripping it open and reading the directions on the tube with a pout. It took 30 minutes to do its job! He sighed and opened the tube, squirting it right over the word on Soubi's throat, obscuring it with the thick, white paste. 

"R-Rub that in. If I touch it, it'll make my fingers go numb and then I won't be able to hold my hands steady."

Soubi obeyed, rubbing it in and around the words until the paste had vanished completely into his skin. Ritsuka, meanwhile, had taken his jacket off and was left in his short, pulling it up and looking at his bare skin. As with Yuiko, there was a word there. Soubi reached over, tracing his finger over each letter, spelling his name with electricity and sparks. 

"Are you sure you want two fighters, Ritsuka?"

"Positive! Seimei got away with it, and he... he's mean." It was still hard for Ritsuka to admit those things, "I don't beat up my fighters, so why can't I have two? Who says I can't? You were mine first, but I can't abandon Yuiko either and I wouldn't want to."

Soubi gently ruffled Ritsuka's hair, "So be it."

Soubi sat back, carefully taking his clothes off until his skin and all its scars were laid bare before Ritsuka's eyes. The younger man dropped his shirt back down, resisting the urge to just hug Soubi. It hurt so much to see the scars, but he couldn't do anything about them. Soubi picked up the medicine, slathering it in the same place on himself where Ritsuka's name was. Where  _their_ name would be.

Ritsuka carefully picked up the knife in his hand, learning the weight of it and preparing himself for what he had to do. 

"This way, you won't go back to Seimei, right?  _I'm_ the one you come back to? You stay with?"

"If this works as we think it will, then yes."

With that little bit of hope in mind, Ritsuka felt ready. It would hurt Soubi, but not much, and it would stop Soubi from being hurt even worse.

"Tell me when it's numb, alright?" Without even waiting for a confirmation, Ritsuka launched himself into stories of his school day, his worries about Yuiko and anything else he could think of to pass the time. He was sure it was obvious how nervous he was, but Soubi just let him ramble on and on until Ritsuka noticed him scratching his nails lightly over the medicated spots.

"Soubi?"

"It's not completely numbed, but I don't think you could get anything that strong from the drug store."

"Does that mean it'll hurt a lot?"

"No. Even if it did, it would be fine."

"It would not!"

"It would, Ritsuka. I don't think the numbing agent lasts long, however."

"R-Right." Ritsuka took a deep breath, picking up the knife and sitting up, getting close to Soubi and bracing himself against the older man. 

He gently pressed the knife into Soubi's skin, not stopping when he saw red, and drew it across the name. One line, two lines, three lines, thick and red, dripping blood, and he was satisfied. Soubi had not reacted the whole time, not until Ritsuka sat back and Soubi carefully used some gauze to stop the blood from running down his chest.

"Did it hurt?"

"No."

Ritsuka was sure Soubi was lying, but he couldn't take the time to ask and pry and see. He got close again, Soubi lifting his arms out of the way. Slowly, carefully, Ritsuka etched his name into Soubi's skin.

**L**

It was a strange name. Ritsuka's homelife had lacked any real love, he knew, but at the same time he never felt unloved or hated. 

**O**

Yuiko was similar... Her home was empty most of the time, though it lacked the abuse that Ritsuka's did. Their classmates were often cruel and did unnecessary things, just to upset her. 

**V**

Soubi... Soubi had a bad life. His parents died and everything after that was just  _bad._ Seimei never loved him, no one ever loved him before Ritsuka. The name, as dark as it was, suited him as much as it suited Ritsuka.

**E**

At this point, LOVE was etched into his skin. Irony. Just add four letters and you get the opposite. 

**L**

Ritsuka thought he had been loved by Seimei. He thought it was simple to love his older brother in return. But with how things had turned out, it wasn't simple at all. 

**E**

Change E to Y and you get Lovely. Flowers were lovely, Soubi's paintings were lovely. Maybe Soubi was too? But that was weird to think about. Soubi was good and kind: that much was true.

 **S**  

 _Loveles._ Almost, not quite, loveless. Almost, not quite, without love in their lives. This was the most accurate writing for the three of them. 

**S**

The final letter carefully written in, Ritsuka pulled away, putting the knife to the side and pushing back his sweat soaked bangs. He hadn't realized how tense he was. He felt satisfied though. They matched now, and no one could take Soubi away from him again. He had never intended to possess Soubi like this, but it was for Soubi's benefit, right? It was!

Ritsuka could always order him to live for himself or something too. 

Soubi got to bandaging the wounds before Ritsuka had a chance to, wrapping them up with practiced ease.

"No more pain, Soubi." Ritsuka said, "No more. You've protected me for a long while and now it's my turn to protect you."

"You've done that long before today, Ritsuka."


End file.
